Is Sulfamethazine a controlled substance?

Sulfamethazine is not federally scheduled in the US. Controlled-drug status differs by country — verify your local rules.

Sulfamethazine

US brand names:Sulmet

Calculate dosage

Sourced from published veterinary references. Awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer — our editorial process.

Sulfamethazine is dosed at 100 mg/kg PO q24h in rabbits, per GillettCS. Selected drug dosages and clinical reference data. In: Manning PJ, Ringler DH, Newcomer CE, eds. The Biology of the Laboratory Rabbit, 2nd ed., Academic Press, San Diego, CA; 1994:467-472. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.852 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.3 (Antiparasitic Agents Used in Rabbits.a). Verify against current literature before clinical use.

Drug Class

Antibiotic

Routes

Indications

Bacterial pneumonia Coccidia Coccidiosis Coccidiosis (printed 'coccidosis' in the source)Coccidiosis (the book prints "coccidosis", sic)foot rotfowl choleranecrotic enteritis

Mechanism of Action

Inhibits dihydropteroate synthase in bacterial folate synthesis. Used primarily in food animals and poultry for coccidiosis.

Side effects & warnings

Withdrawal times required in food animals. Crystalluria risk. Adequate water intake essential. May cause blood dyscrasias with prolonged use.

Species with Sulfamethazine dosing data (12 dose rules)

Ball Python Bearded Dragon Blue-tongue Skink Cattle (Beef/Dairy)Chicken (Poultry)Chinchilla Degu Gerbil Rabbit (Domestic)Swine (Pig)Turkey Zebra Finch

Species references:All Ball Python drugs All Bearded Dragon drugs All Blue-tongue Skink drugs

Evidence levels across 12 dose rules

Weak×4Moderate×4Strong×4

Each ExoticRx dose rule is graded by the strength of its primary evidence — see the editorial process.

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Backed by 10 published sourcesShow

· 232. Doneley B. Formulary. In: Doneley B, eds. Avian Medicine and Surgery in Practice: Companion and Aviary Birds; Manson Publishing, London, UK; 2011:285-320. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.443 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 5.4 (Antiparasitic Agents Used in Birds).
· 396. Rockwell K, Mitchell MM. Antiparasitic therapy. In: Divers SJ, Stahl SJ, eds. Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery, 3rd ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2019:1165-1170. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.232 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.4 (Antiparasitic Agents Used in Reptiles).
· Adamcak A, Otten B. Rodent therapeutics. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2000;3:221-237. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.780 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.2 (Antiparasitic Agents Used in Rodents).
· Beck W, Pantchev N. Praktische Parasitologie bei Heimtieren, Schluetersche Verlagsgesellschaft MBH & Co, Hannover, Germany; 2006. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.780 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.2 (Antiparasitic Agents Used in Rodents).

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Calculate Dosage for Sulfamethazine

· GillettCS. Selected drug dosages and clinical reference data. In: Manning PJ, Ringler DH, Newcomer CE, eds. The Biology of the Laboratory Rabbit, 2nd ed., Academic Press, San Diego, CA; 1994:467-472. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.852 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.3 (Antiparasitic Agents Used in Rabbits.a).

· Papich/Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th Ed, p.753 — 21 CFR § 520.2261b (Sulfamethazine powder), conditions of use for Cattle: 119.05-119.05 mg/kg (the regulation prints this per pound; converted at 2.2046226 lb/kg). Related tolerances: 21 CFR § 556.670. Retrieved from the eCFR API, snapshot 2026-01-01. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-520.2261b

· Rockwell K, Mitchell MM. Antiparasitic therapy. In: Divers SJ, Stahl SJ, eds. Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery, 3rd ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2019:1165-1170. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.232 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.4 (Antiparasitic Agents Used in Reptiles).

· U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Animal drugs. Available at: https://animaldrugsatfda.fda.gov/adafda/views/#/home/previewsearch. Accessed August 14, 2020. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 6.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Backyard Poultry, Gamebirds, and Waterfowl.a,b). — 21 CFR § 520.2261b (Sulfamethazine powder), conditions of use for Chickens: 127.868-187.393 mg/kg (the regulation prints this per pound; converted at 2.2046226 lb/kg). Related tolerances: 21 CFR § 556.670. Retrieved from the eCFR API, snapshot 2026-01-01. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-520.2261b

· U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Extralabel use and antimicrobials. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/antimicrobial-resistance/extralabel-use-and-antimicrobials. Accessed August 14, 2020. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 6.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Backyard Poultry, Gamebirds, and Waterfowl.a,b). — 21 CFR § 520.2261b (Sulfamethazine powder), conditions of use for Turkeys: 110.231-273.373 mg/kg (the regulation prints this per pound; converted at 2.2046226 lb/kg). Related tolerances: 21 CFR § 556.670. Retrieved from the eCFR API, snapshot 2026-01-01. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-520.2261b

· US FDA. Sulmet (sodium sulfamethazine) Soluble Powder, NADA 122-272, Huvepharma. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=09658aaf-dd0f-462c-8a76-538be39b4689 - cattle, calves, swine, chickens, turkeys; swine 237.6 mg/kg day 1 then 118.8 mg/kg days 2-4, max 5 days; swine withdrawal 15 days. — 21 CFR § 520.2261b (Sulfamethazine powder), conditions of use for Swine: 119.05-119.05 mg/kg (the regulation prints this per pound; converted at 2.2046226 lb/kg). Related tolerances: 21 CFR § 556.670. Retrieved from the eCFR API, snapshot 2026-01-01. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-520.2261b